CV/Bio

Carol Hegedus is the creative artist and artist/owner of Handmade Tile Studio.

"While I was earning a living in Michigan, I always did a variety of types of art in my spare time-- woodblock prints, fused and stained glass, watercolors, oil painting, and china painting. I had a career that I loved and worked for a great organization but eventually became quite exhausted and ill from all the travel and good work. My friends and family wondered if I was crazy when I gave up my job and moved to the Southwest in 1996. Instead of finding another job, I downsized my home and lived off retirement savings and a little consulting work. I bought a kiln and glazes without ever having worked with clay and began experimenting with making tiles. The tile work seemed like an extension of the painting and drawing that had always nourished me when I had free time. I became very interested in the ancient mosaics of the Middle East temples and learned about tile design, pattern, color and mural installation by reproducing these amazing works on a small scale.

After three years of teaching myself how to make tiles and experimenting, my work evolved to the small mosaic art tiles similar to what I am currently doing. At that point, I took a class with Santa Theresa Tile Works and through what I learned there, I was able to refine my tile production process. I've been making these small art tiles for 18 years now and their variety and complexity continues to grow. The possibilities are endless! I love making the tiles and I also love creating the mosaics from them. And it gives me great joy seeing others have fun when they use my tiles to create their own art in my classes or make derivative art in their own studios."

Carol has a B.S. in biology and a M.A. in educational leadership. She worked 22 years in healthcare leadership and then shifted careers to become Program Director for the Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She was the publisher of Advances: The Journal of Mind-Body Health and led the planning and conceptual development of the Emmy Award winning PBS series, "Healing and the Mind with Bill Moyers." She also was project director for "STILL/HERE with Bill T. Jones and Bill Moyers" and "Healing and the Arts with Bill Moyers," and consulted on "On Our Own Terms: Moyers on Dying in America." She is the author of John E. Fetzer: Stories of One Man's Search (2004). When she's not working in her studio, she greatly enjoys spending time with her grown children, grandchildren and friends.